‘ER’ creator Michael Crichton’s estate sues Warner Bros. over upcoming hospital drama ‘The Pitt’
The estate of Michael Crichton is suing Warner Bros
LOS ANGELES (AP) — The estate of Michael Crichton, who wrote the screenplay for what became the pilot episode of “ER,” has sued Warner Bros. Television over a dispute about an upcoming medical drama it says is a rebranded version of an unauthorized reboot.
After Crichton’s estate, led by his widow, Sherri, could not reach an agreement with the television studio to produce a reboot of the famed medical procedural, the lawsuit alleges Warner Bros. proceeded to develop and produce a series based on the same premise without consent.
The upcoming series, titled “The Pitt,” will be a medical drama set in Pittsburgh, as opposed to “ER’s” Chicago setting, and will feature Noah Wyle in a starring role. Wyle is best known for playing John Carter on “ER” in over 250 episodes.
“The Pitt” is also set to include several “ER” alums behind-the-scenes, including John Wells as the executive producer and R. Scott Gemmill as the showrunner. Wyle, Wells and Gemmill are each named defendants in the suit.
